WWE SummerSlam 2011 Preview & Predictions

The biggest party of the summer according to the WWE is taking place this weekend and for $50, you’re invited to watch. John Cena vs. CM Punk top this year’s SummerSlam 2011 in a match that will have huge expectations coming off of their Money in the Bank 2011 classic.

WWE SummerSlam is regarded as the number two or three WWE pay per view of the year depending upon who you ask, yet regardless it is a big one. A tradition started 23 years ago continues today with a fairly average card which hopes to be carried this summer’s biggest pro wrestling championship rivalries. While we all know that all good things must come to an end, nobody expected the top rivalry to come to an end this soon.

John Cena vs. CM Punk WWE Championship vs. WWE Championship Match with special referee, Triple H – Pardon me for a second as I am about to go off on a slight rant. I can’t remember being this angry about a pro wrestling angle in years. I am not angry like most fans for ending the angle so soon. I don’t like it, but it doesn’t anger me. What angers me is that this new storyline going into SummerSlam is a worst insult to a WWE fan than anything TNA has booked in years, and that my friends says a lot.

The whole idea of CM Punk returning as the man to never have lost the WWE championship and wrestling a new champion makes sense. It’s been done before, specifically with Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon at WrestleMania X. However, the idea that the WWE would have John Cena win the new title two weeks after he lost it and parade him around as if he is a real WWE champion just angers me to no end. I don’t even know why, but my skin crawl whenever I see this. Don’t even get me started on the WWE Universe who voted 52% on the August 1 RAW that John Cena is the rightful title holder!

I love the gimmick of champion vs. champion, but expecting fans to buy into the idea that the guy who just got pinned two weeks ago for the title comes back, avoids the tournament altogether, wins the new title, and without even one defense is supposed to be on par with the rightful WWE champion is just beyond obnoxious. It is one thing to see a heel do this, but to sell this to your fans as the real deal is just devoid of any intelligent comprehension in this blogger’s mind.

The build up for this match has been so far off the mark, it isn’t even in the same stratosphere as the angle as they had going into the Money in the Bank event. Quite frankly this angle has turned into more of a goofy Zoolander parody with both guys taking their turns posing with for audience adulation than anything resembling a pro wrestling story.I would be absolutely shocked to see the crowd in Los Angeles react even remotely close to as passionate as the Chicago fans did about this match.

Now that my rant is out of the way I’ll get to the match itself. Some, including Wrestling Observer editor Dave Meltzer gave the Punk vs. Cena Money in the Bank match five stars from last month. I liked it but I didn’t think it was that good. Well it doesn’t matter what I think because now these two guys will have the enormous pressure of having to live up to their previous match without the assistance of that beyond awesome crowd in Chicago.

Triple H was added into the mix Monday. They are playing off of the Bret Hart vs. The Undertaker SummerSlam 1997 match with Shawn Michaels as the referee. The question going into the match was who Michaels would screw, and boy do we know how that one eventually worked out. Most expect Triple H to cost CM Punk the match. I don’t know about that. It just seems way to obvious to me and the WWE generally call an audible when something is too obvious.

So who wins? Does it really matter after you have ridiculed the title this way? I don’t think so, but you may. So in your interest, let’s talk a winner. I think Cena clearly pins Punk here. John Cena rarely gives a guy two wins in a row, and I can’t recall him ever giving a guy three wins in a row. In addition to the Cena factor, it would appear that the company is moving towards a Cena vs. Del Rio and Punk vs. Triple H storyline. The ride has been fun but the summer of Punk comes to a crashing halt this Sunday at SummerSlam.

Finally, let’s talk Alberto Del Rio…again. Classic WWE booking would dictate that with Del Rio getting pinned clean Monday by Punk, he would take the title at SummerSlam. I expect Del Rio to cash in the Money in the Bank on Sunday immediately after the title match on the winner. My hunch is that Del Rio goes over on Cena and we are treated to a Triple Threat series with Del Rio vs. Punk vs. Cena. If it doesn’t happen Sunday, I’d be very worried if I were Alberto Del Rio.

Randy Orton vs. Christian for the WWE world heavyweight championship in a No Disqualification Match – Let me rant once again. I love this feud! I have said it a dozen times here but I think this is the best rivalry the WWE has produced since Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho. The matches have been very good to excellent, their chemistry is beyond fantastic, and the story keeps clicking. As much as the Punk vs. Cena angle annoys me, this match has made watching WWE pay per views over the last few months a real pleasure.

Unfortunately I am starting to think I am in the minority here. I have been reading more and more lately about negative fan reaction to this angle. Fans seem to like it, yet are bothered by the number of matches these guys have had since May. Hey, if it is good keep it coming and what is your alternative, Mark Henry vs. Randy Orton or Sheamus vs. Christian?

I expect this match to be nothing short of great. Word on the street is that these guys will have one more match at the next WWE pay per view. So with that said, I would expect Christian to retain the title here. My thinking is that somehow or another Christian gets another cheap win and they come back with either a Steel Cage or Last Man Standing Match next month to close this book once and for all.

Sheamus vs. Mark Henry – I have been a fan of Sheamus’ for some time so I like the idea that he is finally getting a big push. I just really have a hard time seeing him as a babyface. Henry has been such a monster heel that I can’t fathom why they’d push him so heavily if he wasn’t going to be challenging for the WWE world heavyweight title. I expect a quick match, more of a brawl, with either a disqualification or double disqualification finish.

Eric is the owner and editor-in-chief of the Camel Clutch Blog. Eric has worked in the pro wrestling industry since 1995 as a ring announcer in ECW and a commentator/host on television, PPV, and home video. Eric also hosted Pro Wrestling Radio on terrestrial radio from 1998-2009. Check out some of Eric's work on his IMDB bio and Wikipedia. Eric has an MBA from Temple University's Fox School of Business.

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